Improvement in can-seaming machines



- ZShaets-Sheetl. N EU MAN N Can-Seaming Machines. N0.l49,599,PatentedAprl 14, 1874.

w` l v l `UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEF NEUMANN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO ISAAC BERNHEIMER ANDJACOB GOLDSMITH, OF SAME PLAGE.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAN-SEAMING MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 149.599, dated April14, 1874; application filed December 11, 1873.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, JosEF NEUMANN, of New York city, State of New York,have invented a Compound-Lever lress, to be used in the Manufacture ofOil and other Cans, of which the following is a specification:

The object of the invention is to rapidly fold and press the top andbottom seams of oil and other cans in a peculiar manner, in which it hasnot been done by machinery heretofore.

The invention is illustrated in detail inthe accompanying drawings, inwhichp Figure l represents a vertical longitudinal section, in line 1 1of Fig. 2, of the machine,

the cam-levers O O O O and'some other parts being omitted. Fig. 2 is aplan view of the plate A, with all the jaws in place, shown in such aposition as they would be when the treadle B is up. Fig. 3 is a planview of the plate A, having the bottom plate H' attached, all the jawsbeing removed. Fig. 4. is a side elevation of the vertical swaging-dieg. Fig. 5 is a plan view thereof. Fig. 6 is a vertical diagonal section,in line 2 2 of Fig. 2, of the plate A and all its attachments. Fig. 7 isa plan view of the plate A detached from every other part. Fig. 8 is aplan view of the cam l', which operates the cam-levers O. Fig. 9 is anelevation of the bottom plate Hl detached, represented as looking at onecorner thereof. Fig. 10 is a vertical diagonal section of all the jawsand the vertical swaging-die g, with a portion of the can-body and thecan-bottom inserted, ready to have the seam formed. Fig.

11 is a vertical section of the can-body, such as the machine iscalculated to operate on. Fig. 12 is a vertical section of the can-bod yin line 3 3 of Fig. 11. Figs. 13, 14, and 15 are also sections of thecan-body and can-bottom, showing the lower portion of the can-body only,and the various stages of formation of the seam.

The last figures, 10, 11, 12, 13,14, and 15, are drawn on a larger scalethan the preceding figures.

The machine is constructed as follows: A is a square plate, supported ata convenient height by suitable legs. It is provided with a largeaperture, a, in its center, and an oblong radiating slot, a', at each ofits four corners. B is a treadle-lever, having its fulcruni at b,attached to a cross-bar, b', of the machine. From this lever all thevarious motions required in the machine are obtained. O C O O are fourcam-levers, which pass through the slots a a a a', some distance belowthe plate A, andhave their fulcrums at d d d d, above the platevA, incertain projections d d d d', cast onto the plate. Each of thesecam-levers O transmits a slight horizontal reciprocating motion, in adiagonal direction, to two slides 0r jaws, e and f, which are guidedbetween the shoulders g4 g4.. The four upper jaws ff ff serve to holdthe can in position while the seam is being formed, and their inneredges are therefore shaped to iit the shape of the can-body above andbelow its shoulder, each embracing a corner of the canbody, and are wideenough to surround the whole square` thereof when they have been movedup to the can. The lower jaws e e e e serve to bend the edge of the caninward all around; their inner edges must also conform to the shape ofthe can. 7c 7c k k are four inside jaws, for the purpose of holding thecan-body and the can-bottom in shape, and resisting the pressure of thebending-j aws ee while the seam is beingform ed. These resisting jaws k7c are also capable of a slight reciprocating motion in a diagonaldirection-that is, they can be contracted and expandedin which latterposition they are shown in all figures. The means by which the expansionand contraction of these resisting jaws k 7c is effected will hereafterbe explained. Their motion is guided in diagonal dovetailed ways h1,which are provided for them at the upper part of four blocks, l1J h h h,which are attached to a plate, H, in such a manner as to leave diagonalgrooves h2 h2 be tween them. At the lower side of the plate H, in thecenter thereof, there is a vertical sleeve, H', which forms a guide forthe vertical stem g1, which, at its upper end, carries the swaging-dieg, which is capable of a slight vertical motion. Its construction isclearly shown in the various iigures. Its shape conforms to the shape ofthe interior of the can body, and consists of a square frame, havingyround corners and diagonal arms, which unite in the center, where thestem g1 is fastened to the bottom side thereof. The arms of thisswaging-die t in the diagonal grooves h2, in which they are at libertyto rise and fall. This swaging-die receives its up-and-down motion fromthe treadle through a horizontal lever, t', below the plate A, and aconnecting-rod, QV. One end of this rod t" is slotted, as seen in Fic'.1, in order to produce the lifting of the swaging-die g only at the lastend of the downstroke of the treadle. The stem g1 of the swaging-die ishollow throughout its wholel length, and at its upper end there is acone, g2, inserted, which, operating against the inner ends of theresisting jaws 7c k, causes them to expand when the swaging -diedescendsthat is, when the treadle is on its upstroke. The contractingmotion of the resisting jaws 7c can be produced by their lower cornerscoming in contact with certain bevels a: w made at the interior of thefour corners of the swaging die g, when the said die rises, or by anyother suitable means. There is a vertical center-rod, l, which is guidedup and down in the bore of the stem g1 and receives its verticalreciprocating motion from the treadle through a connectingrod, Z2. Tothis rod is attached a cross, l1. The lower sides of the four arms,being curved, as shown in Fig. 6, operate as vso many cams against thelower ends of the cam-levers C C C C. The inner edges at the upper endsof these cam-levers are furnished each with two projections or teeth, yand z. As the lower ends ofthe cam-levers move outward on the downstrokeof the treadle the teeth y produce the inward motion of the upper jawsf, and the teeth z that of the lower jaws e. The returnmotion of thecam-levers may be obtained by a rubber band surrounding the fourleversnot shown in the drawings; and the return motion ot' the upper andlower jaws fand e may be obtained by separate springs attached to eachof' them-also not shown in the drawings. There is a vertical standard,m, bolted onto the rear part of the plate A, which carries at its upperportion a lever, a, to which is hinged at its front end a square plate,nl, somewhat larger than the end of the can. An arm, n2, is fastened tothe rear part of the lever n, and serves as a counter-weight, its inneredge bein g at right angles with the lever n. This arm or weight n2causes the lever n to be in a position as shown in 'full lines in Fi 0*.1 when the treadle is up. A vertical rod, o, being guided in suitableways at the rear of the standard m, receives a vertical motion from thetreadle by means of a connecting-rod, p, which is hinged to the rearpart ot' the treadle behind its fulcrum. Vhen the treadle is carrieddown the rod o pushes the counter-weight n2 up to a position, as shownin dotted lines in Fig. 1, thereby moving its lever n and plate nl downto a horizontal position, and leaves these parts in that position whilethe treadle continues its downstroke. The treadle B may be carried downby foot-power, or otherwise, and a counter-weight, (not shown in thedrawing,) at the rear portion of the said treadle, may return it to itsoriginal position.

The operation of the machine is as follows: When the treadle is up theresisting jaws k 7c k k are expanded and the upper and lower outsidejaws have receded. Now, the bottom ofthe can is placed upon theresisting jaws 7c 7c with its flange or edge downward, and the body ofthe can is placed upon the bottom. Then, the treadle, being forced down,will first cause the bar o to carry down the plate nl upon the upper endof the cau-body and hold the same firmly down upon the can-bottom andthe resisting jaws 7c throughout the whole operation of forming the seamat the bottom. The treadle, proceeding farther in its downstroke,carries down the cam l1, which moves the camlevers outward, and theupper jaws f, as well as the lower jaws e, inward. The upper jaws f comeup to the can-body and hold it and the ange ot' the can-bottom rirmlybetween themselves andthe edges ot' the resisting jaws, in whichposition they are shown in Fig. 10. The lower jaws c advance slightlybeyond the upper jaws, and thereby bend the extreme lower edge of thecan body inward, as shown in Fig. 14. The eamlevers moving farther, thelower jaws e can recede from the can by dropping into the notches formedbetween the two teeth y and z, while the upper jaws f f retain theirhold on the can. Finally, the treadle, on its last part of thedownstroke raises the swaging-die g, which, in the meantime, contractsthe resisting jaws to make room for the swaging-die to pass and turn upthe edge of the can-body inside of the ange ofthe can-bottom, when theseam is finished, and of a formation as shown in Fig. 15. Now, thetreadle can return to its original position, and the can may be removedfrom the machine.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a machine or press for forming the bottomand top seams of tin cans, the gravi tating arm n2, at right angles withthe pivoted lever n which carries the plate nl, in combination withavertical sliding bar, 0, operated by the treadle, substantially as andfor the purpose specified.

2. The outside bending-jaws e, in combination with the outsideholding-jaws fand the inner resisting jaws 7c, operated substantially asand for the purpose speciiied.

3. The vertical swaging die g, in combination with the diagonal jaws eand the resisting jaws 7c, constituting the device for holding the canwhile the turning' of the edge takes place, substantially as described.

4. rThe inner resisting jaws 7i; k k k, capable of expansion andcontraction, constructed and operated substantially as and for thepurpose specified.

JOSEF NEUMANN.

Vitnesses ALBERT H. Hoort, A. AsoHER.

